Jib-furling stay

ABSTRACT

The jib-furling apparatus disclosed herein employs a stay having a C-shaped cross section, the interior of the C shape being adapted to retain a bead on the luff of a jib sail, e.g. a bolt rope, with the sail extending through the mouth of the C. The upper and lower ends of the stay are provided with respective swivel means for attachment to the mast and bow respectively and a further swivel means is provided for coupling a halyard to the head of a jib thereby to permit raising of a jib held by the stay while permitting the stay to rotate without twisting the halyard around the stay.

United States Patent I72] lnventor Frederick E. Hood e/o Wood Sailmakerslne., Little Harbor Way, Marblehead, Mass. 01945 [21 1 Appl. No. 835,579

[22] Filed June 23, 1969 [45] Patented Oct. 12, 1971 [54] JlB-FURLINGSTAY 10 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

(52] U.S. Cl 114/106 [51] B6311 9/04 [50] Field of Search 114/39,

3,285,215 11/1966 Potter 1 14/102 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,488,432 6/1967France 1 14/102 Primary ExaminerTrygve M. Blix- Altorne'y-Kenway,.lenney & Hildreth ABSTRACT: The jib-furling apparatus disclosed hereinemploys a stay having a C-shaped cross section, the interior of the Cshape being adapted to retain a bead on the luffof a jib sail, e.g. abolt rope, with the sail extending through the mouth of the C. The upperand lower ends of the stay are provided with respective swivel means forattachment to the mast and bow respectively and a further swivel meansis provided for coupling a halyard to the head ofajib thereby to permitraising ofa jib held by the stay while permitting the stay to rotatewithout twisting the halyard around the stay.

PATENTED am 1 2197: 3,611,969

SHEET 1 [1F 3 INVENTOR FREDERICK E. HOOD BY 'M +4 ATTORNEYS PATENTED um1 2197| SHEET 3 [1F 3 INVENTOR FREDERICK E. HOOD ATTORNEYS JIB-FURLINGSTAY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a jibfurlingstay and more particularly to such a stay which permits the jib sail tobe readily replaced while providing support for a mast.

, In various jib-furling devices proposed heretofore, the

forestay has been incorporated into the jib sail itself, e.g. in theform of a stiff wire in the luff of the jib. The top and bottom of thestay were then attached to the mast and bow through respective swivelsto permit rotation of the stay while a drum mechanism was typicallyprovided for rotating the stay thereby to furl the jib sail around thestay when desired. While such arrangements provide effective furling ofa single sail, they effectively prevent the changing of sails since themast usually relies upon the stay for support. Among the several objectsof the present invention may be noted the provision of jib-furling stayapparatus which provides support for the mast of a sailboat; theprovision of such apparatus which permits the jib sail to be readilyreplaced; the provision of such apparatus which permits a jib to berapidly raised and lowered; the provision of such apparatus which permits the use of conventional jibs in place of special self-furling jibsadapted for use therewith; the provision of such apparatus which isreliable and easy to use; and the provision of such apparatus which isrelatively simple and inexpensive.

Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointedout hereinafter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Jib-furling stay apparatus according to thepresent invention is adapted for use between the bow and mast of asailboat. The apparatus employs a stay having at least a portion thereofwhich is of generally C-shaped cross section, the interior of theC-shaped cross section being adapted to retain a bead on the luff of ajib sail with the sail extending through the mouth of the C. Swivelmeans are provided for attaching the upper end of the stay to the mastand for attaching the lower end of the stay to the bow, the stay beingthereby adapted to provide support to the mast. A means such as a drumis provided for selectively rotating the stay thereby to furl a jib heldthereby around the stay while afurther swivel means is provided forcoupling a halyard to the head of the jib thereby to permit raising of ajib having a bead passing within the stay, while permitting the stay torotate without twisting the halyard around the stay.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic viewof the bow portion of a sailboat employing jib-furling stay apparatusaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view, partially in section, of a drum and swivelassembly employed in the furling apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2; V

FIG. 4 is a view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. I showing aroller guide for feeding a jib sail into the stay;

FIG. 5 is a section substantially on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a section taken substantially on the line 6-6 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a view, partially in section, of a halyard swivel employed inthe apparatus of FIG. 1.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT shaped cross section as seen inFIGS. 3 and 5. Stay II is preferably fabricated by suitably rolling aflat strip of stainless steel to obtain the desired cross sections.Thus, the wall thicknesses of the sections are small in relation to theoverall width of the sections. As the stay is relatively thin, e.g. awidth of one-half inch as compared with a length of over 20 feet, it isalso relatively flexible and can bow nonnally under sail loading.

A jib sail, adapted for use with stay 11, is indicated at 17. As isdescribed hereinafter, jib 17 is provided with a bead which, duringraising of the jib, is guided into the stay 11 by a roller guideassembly 19. The halyard, designated 21, is attached to the head of thejib sail by means of a special swivel assembly 23 which, during furlingof the jib sail, prevents wrapping of the halyard around the stay.

The lower end of the stay II has a cross section as illustrated in FIG.3 and is attached to the bow of the boat as illustrated in FIG. 2. Ashort length of solid rod 31 is welded to the lower end of stay and adrum 33 is clamped to this section. Clamping is conveniently provided byfabricating the drum 33 in two sections which are then bolted togetherwith the shaft 31 therebetween. One half of the drum is provided with afixed loop 35 to which the foot of the jib may be attached.

From the drum 33, the shaft 31 extends through a spherical bearing 37and a thrust bearing 39, withdrawal of the shaft being prevented by anut 41 threaded onto its lower end. The thrust bearing 39 bears againstthe bottom of the spherical bearing 37 while the outer portion of thespherical bearing is held by a cylindrical mount 43. Mount 43 is in turnsecured to a tang 45 extending upwardly from the bow by means of a pin47. The thrust bearing 39 permits the stay 11 to rotate with respecttothe mount 43 even though the stay is under considerable tension and isproviding support to the mast. The spherical bearing 37 permits the stayII to bow under wind loading by the jib sail I7, without producing aconcentration of stress at the lower end of the stay.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate the operation of the roller guide 19 whichfacilitates insertion of a jib sail into the stay II. For use with thisjib-furling apparatus, the jib I7 is provided along its luff edge with abead, designated generally as SI. In the embodiment illustrated, thebead 51 is given its form by a flexible plastic tube 53. A fabric tape55 is folded around the tube 53 and sewn to the body of the jib sail 17.As is illustrated in FIG. 6, the main portion of stay 11 has across-sectional configuration which is substantially C-shaped. Withinthis portion, the stay II is adapted to retain or hold the bead 51 withthe jib sail itself extending through the mouth of the C.

The guide I9 which guides or aligns the bead SI for entering the mainportion of the stay from the more open lower portion is preferablyconstructed in two similar halves 61 and 63 which are hinged together bymeans of a pin 65 and may be selectively clamped on the lower portion ofthe stay 11 by means of a quick-release clamp pin as indicated at 67.Each of the hinged portions includes a respective guide arm portion 71and 73 upon which are mounted respective guide rollers 75 and 77. Ifdesired, simple, rounded guideposts may be used in place of the rollers75 and 77 with certain sail materials.

With reference to FIG. 7, the halyard swivel assembly 23 comprises aninner portion 79 which is of generally tubular configuration and whichhas a flange 81 at its lower end and a loop 83 at its upper end, thehalyard 2] being secured to loop 83 as by means of a shackle 85. Aringlike member 87 is supported on the flange 81 by means of a ballthrust bearing 89, vertical movement of the ring member 87 being limitedby an apertured disc member 97 which is threaded into the member 87. Themember 87 carries a depending loop 93 to which the head of the jib maybe attached, e.g. by means of a clip as indicated at 95. The tubularportion of member 79 preferably fits around the C-shaped portion of thestay 11 so that the assembly 23 is maintained in substantial alignmenttherewith.

In operation, this apparatus is used substantially as follows. The headof a selected jib is attached to the halyard swivel assembly 23 and thebead 51 of the jib is threaded through the roller guide assembly 19 andinto the C-shaped upper portion of the stay ll. The jib may then beraised quite rapidly merely by pulling up on the halyard since theroller guide assembly 19 aligns the bead to pass freely into theinterior of the C-shaped portion of the stay.

Since the stay ll provides support to the mast whether or not ajib sailis in place, thejib can be taken down and another substituted while thesailboat is under way.

If it is desired to furl the jib, e.g. to facilitate coming about with aGenoa jib or to effectively remove the jib temporarily, this may beaccomplished by means of a line, indicated at 14 in FIG. I, wound aroundthe drum 33. Since the halyard swivel assembly 23 permits the stay 11with the jib to rotate while the halyard 21 itself remains stationary,the halyard is not wrapped around the stay by the furling operation.Accordingly, it can be seen that it is not necessary that the halyardpass up within the relatively thin stay 11. Preferably, the roller guideassembly 19 is either removed from the stay or lowered to a positionadjacent the drum 33 prior to furling so that this assembly is not woundup in the jib. However, if this assembly is made sufficiently small, itmay remain in place without hann.

Since the stay 11 is relatively thin, i.e. not much larger than anordinary bolt rope, it will be understood by those skilled in the artthat ordinary jibs, i.e. those which are provided with conventionalclips and are thus not particularly adapted for use with the furlingstay, may be attached to the stay 11 merely by fastening the snapsaround the stay and thus conventional operation is also permitted.

In view of the foregoing, it may be seen that several objects of thepresent invention are achieved and other advantageous results have beenattained.

As various changes could be made in the above construction withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it should be understood thatall matter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

What is claimed is:

l. Jib-furling stay apparatus for use between the bow and mast of asailboat, said apparatus comprising:

a stay having at least a portion thereof of generally C- shaped crosssection, the interior of the C-shaped cross section being adapted toretain a bead on the luff of ajib sail with the sail extending throughthe mouth of the C;

first swivel means for attaching the upper end of said stay to saidmast;

second swivel means for attaching the lower end of said stay to saidbow, said stay being thereby adapted to provide support to said mast;

means for selectively rotating said stay thereby to furl a jib heldthereby around the stay; and

third swivel means for coupling a halyard to the head ofajib to permitraising ofjib having a bead passing within said stay while permittingsaid stay to rotate without twisting said halyard around said stay.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim I wherein said second swivel meansincludes a spherical bearing which permits said stay to bow.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for rotatingsaid stay includes a drum mounted on the lower end of said stay.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second swivel meansincludes a thrust bearing facilitating free rotation of said stay whileunder substantial tension.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said third swivel meansincludes first and second members both of which surround said stay, athrust bearing interposed between said members for permitting freerelative rotation while said mem bers are under axial load along saidstay, means for attaching a halyard to one of said members outside ofsaid stay, and means for attaching the bead of a jib sail to the otherof said members.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the walls of said C arerelatively thin with respect to the width of the C.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim I wherein said stay comprises a stripof metal rolled to provide said C-shaped cross section.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said stay includes a majorportion which is of C-shaped cross section and a minor portion at thelower end thereof which is of U-shaped cross section.

9. Jib-furling stay apparatus for use between the bow and mast of asailboat, said apparatus comprising:

a stay comprising a strip of metal rolled to provide a major portion ofgenerally C-shaped cross section and a minor portion at the lower endthereof which is of U-shaped cross section, the interior of the C-shapedcross section being adapted to retain a bead on the luff ofajib sailwith the sail extending through the mouth of the C;

first swivel means for attaching the upper end of said stay to saidmast;

second swivel means for attaching the lower end of said stay to said bowand permitting both rotation and bowing of said stay, said stay beingthereby adapted to provide support to said mast;

means for selectively rotating said stay thereby to furl a jib heldthereby around the stay; and

third swivel means for coupling a halyard to the head ofajib to permitraising of jib having a bead passing within said stay while permittingsaid stay to rotate without twisting said halyard around said stay.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein the walls of said C and Uare relatively thin with respect to their widths.

M950 f] PATENT OFFICE !"\"1 1 Cibii'lli'iCAliL U-F COERLCTION Patent No.3,611,969 Dated October 12, 1971 lnventoz-(s) Frederick E. HOOd It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are b21111 120111447 111 0.: shown bclozr:

j In the printed patent the corporate name 1 is misspelled. "WoodSailmakers Inc." should be-Hood Sailmakers Inc.--.

Signed and sealed this 11th day of April 1972.

(SEAL) Atte'st: EDWARD M.FLETCHIER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK' AttestingOfficer Commissioner of Pate nts

1. Jib-furling stay apparatus for use between the bow and mast of asailboat, said apparatus comprising: a stay having at least a portionthereof of generally C-shaped cross section, the interior of theC-shaped cross section being adapted to retain a bead on the luff of ajib sail with the sail extending through the mouth of the C; firstswivel means for attaching the upper end of said stay to said mast;second swivel means for attaching the lower end of said stay to saidbow, said stay being thereby adapteD to provide support to said mast;means for selectively rotating said stay thereby to furl a jib heldthereby around the stay; and third swivel means for coupling a halyardto the head of a jib to permit raising of jib having a bead passingwithin said stay while permitting said stay to rotate without twistingsaid halyard around said stay.
 2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1wherein said second swivel means includes a spherical bearing whichpermits said stay to bow.
 3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 whereinsaid means for rotating said stay includes a drum mounted on the lowerend of said stay.
 4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidsecond swivel means includes a thrust bearing facilitating free rotationof said stay while under substantial tension.
 5. Apparatus as set forthin claim 1 wherein said third swivel means includes first and secondmembers both of which surround said stay, a thrust bearing interposedbetween said members for permitting free relative rotation while saidmembers are under axial load along said stay, means for attaching ahalyard to one of said members outside of said stay, and means forattaching the bead of a jib sail to the other of said members. 6.Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the walls of said C arerelatively thin with respect to the width of the C.
 7. Apparatus as setforth in claim 1 wherein said stay comprises a strip of metal rolled toprovide said C-shaped cross section.
 8. Apparatus as set forth in claim7 wherein said stay includes a major portion which is of C-shaped crosssection and a minor portion at the lower end thereof which is ofU-shaped cross section.
 9. Jib-furling stay apparatus for use betweenthe bow and mast of a sailboat, said apparatus comprising: a staycomprising a strip of metal rolled to provide a major portion ofgenerally C-shaped cross section and a minor portion at the lower endthereof which is of U-shaped cross section, the interior of the C-shapedcross section being adapted to retain a bead on the luff of a jib sailwith the sail extending through the mouth of the C; first swivel meansfor attaching the upper end of said stay to said mast; second swivelmeans for attaching the lower end of said stay to said bow andpermitting both rotation and bowing of said stay, said stay beingthereby adapted to provide support to said mast; means for selectivelyrotating said stay thereby to furl a jib held thereby around the stay;and third swivel means for coupling a halyard to the head of a jib topermit raising of jib having a bead passing within said stay whilepermitting said stay to rotate without twisting said halyard around saidstay.
 10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein the walls of said Cand U are relatively thin with respect to their widths.